CHP: Take Action Against Distraction

Car Accident Attorney

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) recently issued a press release about their “Take Action Against Distraction” public safety campaign. With the expansion of in-vehicle technology and ever-increasing digital landscape of communication, distracted driving has become a nationwide epidemic. In an effort to reduce injury-causing and fatal crashes associated with distracted driving, the CHP is getting ready to launch their yearlong Adult Distracted Drivers campaign. This grant-funded campaign, in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), will combine education and enforcement to attack the distracted driving epidemic in California.

Take Action Against Distraction

The primary focus of the education portion of Take Action Against Distraction will be centered around helping motorists understand that any action or behavior that takes their eyes, attention or hands away from the task of driving, even if it’s only for a second, can result in an injury-causing or fatal car accident. The CHP Acting Commissioner, Warren Stanley, is calling on drivers to keep their eyes on the road and off their phones. A phone call, text or other mobile notification can wait, and nothing on your phone is worth risking your life or the lives of others. Essentially, it can wait.

Cognitive Distractions Behind The Wheel

In the State of California, it’s illegal to use a cell phone behind the wheel, unless it’s in hands-free mode. That being said, hands-free devices haven’t been shown to be substantially safer than handheld devices. When your attention is on the phone, it’s not on the road. It is possible to be distracted, even if both hands are on the wheel. If your mind is focused on anything other than the task of driving, you’re engaged in a form of cognitive distraction.

Reducing Distracted Driving Accidents in California

By the end of September 2018, CHP will have conducted a minimum of 100 distracted driving enforcement operations and at least 600 traffic safety presentations for Take Action Against Distraction. If you have been injured or if you have lost a loved one in a car accident involving a distracted driver in California, contact the skilled and proven team at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. at 1.800.GO.HARRIS for a free case consultation today.